Gordon Vanderark was found guilty of solicitation of murder for hire. (DuPage County Sheriff's Office photo)

A prison inmate who sought revenge on a DuPage County judge and prosecutor and attempted to have them murdered, along with his ex-wife, was sentenced Friday to 40 years in prison.

Gordon Vanderark, 56, formerly of Wheaton, had been found guilty by a jury in May of solicitation of murder. He was given the maximum possible sentence.

Vanderark was serving a 16-year prison sentence for an aggravated DUI conviction in 2010 when he solicited a fellow inmate at the Centralia Correctional Center to kill Judge Blanche Hill Fawell, who had sentenced Vanderark to prison, and Assistant State’s Attorney Audrey Anderson, who prosecuted his case. He also sought to have his ex-wife murdered.

The inmate, however, alerted prison officials and later wore a hidden device to record conversations with Vanderark, who gave him $2,000 via his prison bank account and promised $70,000 more upon completion of the murders. The inmate was supposed to carry out the crimes following his parole.

At trial, Vanerark’s attorney said his client’s threats were just idle prison talk.

His sentence for solicitation, which was handed down by DuPage County Judge George Bakalis, will be served consecutively to the DUI charge, according to county officials.

“The basic tenets of our criminal justice system were attacked by Mr. Vanderark when he threatened to kill a judge and prosecutor,” State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said. “Today’s sentence will punish him for his acts and serve as a deterrent to anyone who attacks our system.”